Types of YouTube Ads

YouTube offers a variety of ad formats that businesses can use to keep their customers engaged:

Trueview
Pre-Roll
Bumper Ads

Each of these formats has its own unique advantages and use cases.

Depending on what goal you’re trying to accomplish, you may want to use only one format or potentially combine multiple formats.

TrueView Ads

For some of their ads, YouTube uses a unique format called TrueView.

For Standard TrueView Ads, advertisers are only charged when a user watches at least 30 seconds of the video ad, or if the video is less than 30 seconds, they have to watch the whole thing.

In addition, you are charged for a view if the viewer engages with your ad by clicking on a link, for example.

And within TrueView Ads there are two subcategories of ads, In-Stream and Discovery.

In-Stream Ads

TrueView In-Stream Ads are advertisements that play before, during, or after a YouTube video has played.

These are skippable ads after five seconds, but you won’t be charged if viewers who opted to skip the ad.

Google recently changed the guidelines for TrueView for Action ad formats so that cost is incurred after 10 seconds.

TrueView In-Stream Ads are generally what businesses decide to pursue when considering YouTube Ads, but they can be tricky to do right.

It is vital you keep in mind that users have the ability to skip the video after five seconds.

Discovery Ads

TrueView Discovery Ads show up on YouTube search results pages and as related videos on the right-hand sidebar.

Discovery Ads are a great option for how-to or product demonstration videos.

If you’re worried about viewers immediately skipping In-Stream Ads and not engaging with Discovery Ads, there are other ads options that could be the solution you’re looking for.

Pre-Rolls and Bumper Ads don’t allow viewers to skip them, but they do come with some drawbacks.

Pre-Roll Ads

Between the two ad types that can’t be skipped, Pre-Roll Ads seem more lucrative.

These ads, which can play before, in the middle, or after a video, can be up to 20 seconds long but are usually around 15.

A Pre-Roll Ad only plays in the middle of a YouTube video if it is 10 minutes or longer.

But, there are some great strategies you can take to make the most of each view.

Consider breaking the fourth wall, and acknowledging the fact that users are watching an ad.

In doing so, you can seem like less of an annoyance and hopefully, your ad will become more approachable.

For your Pre-Roll Ads, you should set up a call-to-action overlay to make it easier for viewers to learn more about your ad.
Since 15 seconds can go by quickly, it is best to use this time wisely with a call-to-action.

Bumper Ads

Similar to Pre-Roll, Bumper Ads are both non-skippable and cost businesses every time they are shown.

Because of the brief runtime, Bumper Ads are generally better suited for building brand awareness rather than promoting a product.

It isn’t recommended that you try and fit a lot of information in one of these ads, as they will come across as confusing and complicated.

But, if you’re really interested, there are alternative tactics you can take to tell a more complete story.

Make sure your ad is clear and concise, with a singular message that’s easy to understand. A lot of advertisers try to put too much into one ad and end up overstuffing it.

Source: Brandon Bauer